Primary Sources Battle of Bennington Unit: Massachusetts Militia, Col. Simonds, Capt. Michael Holcomb James Holcomb Pension Application of James Holcomb R 5128 Holcomb was born 8 June 1764 and is thus 12 years old (!) when he first enlisted on 4 March 1777 in Sheffield, MA, for one year as a waiter in the Company commanded by his uncle Capt. Michael Holcomb. In April or May 1778, he enlisted as a fifer in Capt. Deming’s Massachusetts Militia Company. “That he attended his uncle in every alarm until some time in August when the Company were ordered to Bennington in Vermont […] arriving at the latter place on the 15th of the same month – that on the 16th his company joined the other Berkshire militia under the command of Col. Symonds – that on the 17th an engagement took place between a detachment of the British troops under the command of Col. Baum and Brechman, and the Americans under general Stark and Col. Warner, that he himself was not in the action, having with some others been left to take care of some baggage – that he thinks about seven Hundred prisoners were taken and that he believes the whole or a greater part of them were Germans having never found one of them able to converse in English. That he attended his uncle the Captain who was one of the guard appointed for that purpose in conducting the prisoners into the County of Berkshire, where they were billeted amongst the inhabitants”. From there he marches with his uncle to Stillwater. In May 1781, just before his 17th birthday, he enlisted for nine months in Capt. Stephen Pearl’s Company of General John Fellow’s Massachusetts Regiment as a Orderly Sergeant and marches to Fishkill and White Plains but being militia did not go to Yorktown. On 25 June 1781, George Washington wrote to General John Fellows from New Windsor: Sir: Having Occasion to withdraw from Albany and other posts in the Northern District all the Continental Troops that are now there; I find myself under the necessity to replace them out of the Quota of Militia requested from the State of Massachusetts to the Number of Six Hundred; to be taken from the Counties most contiguous. I have therefore to request that you will be pleased to order the Militia of the County of Berkshire to the Number of Six Hundred; to Rendezvous at Albany; and if that County should not in the proportion 1 assigned to them, amount to the Number I have mentioned; I must beg that you will be pleased to extend your orders (if in your Power) to the County of Hampshire untill you compleat the whole; but in case your command does not reach there, be pleased to communicate this Request to the Officer commandg the Militia in that County and Desire him to fulfill the Number. This Requisition has been communicated to Govr Hancock; but to save Time and to have the Militia in forwardness to move on as soon as possible, I have thot proper to make my Address directly to you, without waitg his Excellencys Orders. I am etc 2 Primary Sources Battle of Bennington Unit: New Hampshire Militia, Col. John Stark, Capt. Silas Goodrich Levy Hopkins Pension application of George Levy Hopkins W11330 Virginia/ Preston County to wit “On this 11th day of March in the year 1833 personally appeared before me Frederick Harsh a Justice of the peace in and for said County of Preston and state aforesaid Levi Hopkins aged 79 years and resident of said County, who being first duly sworn doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provision made by the Act of Congress passed June the 7th 1832. that he entered the service of the United States under the folowing named officers and served as herein stated. I volunteered in the fall of 1776 under Captain George King and served three months, my Col’s. name I do not now recollect, my General was Gen’l [Benjamin] Lincoln, I was in the battle of the White plains in New York [28 Oct 1776], I served three months as a private this tower. I was out one month in July 1776, was Commanded by Silas Gootrich Captain I this term was drafted for the purpose of protecting some bagage from the Indians and tories. I have no recollection of seeing any superior officers in this trip though I saw other smaller body of our troops this was my first service and in the fall I volunteered as above stated. In the summer of 1777 I again volunteered under Captain Gootrich and served three months my Col was Starks. I was at the dislodging of the British troops near Bennington under Col Baum; I was frequently called upon to be in readiness to march but was not at any other time in the service long enough to take any account of. I was born 31st March 1753 in Great Barington, Berkshire Massachusetts. I entered the service each tour as a private soldier at the place of my birth and then residence. I had my discharge but long since have lost them. I have [no] evidence that I know of my services. I hereby relinquish every claim whatever to a pension except the present and declare that my name is not on the Pension list of any state whatever. This deposition is quoted here in full length as an example of a deposition. Primary Sources Battle of Bennington Unit: New Hampshire Militia, Col. Nichols, Capt. Solomon Stone Caleb Ingalls Pension application of Caleb Ingalls R 5476 “And about the latter part of July we march for Bennington Vt. under Gen John Stark and I was there engaged with a party of the enemy under Command of Col. Baum who had been ordered by the British Gen. Burgoyne who then lay at Ft. Eward to destroy Military stores at Bennington on the 16th of August we met the party and after an obstinate resistence took the whole prisoners – we then marched immediately for Stillwater NY.” Born February 1755 or 1756, he is not sure; in summer of 1777 he joins the service in New Marlborough. Primary Sources Battle of Bennington Unit: Massachusetts Militia, Col Symonds, Capt. Parker Amasa Ives Pension Application of Amasa Ives S 23277 “His next Service was in the year 1777 at the Battle of Bennington Vermont. He then resided at Adams aforesaid at which time the Country was suddenly alarmed at the approach of the enemy towards Bennington, and a general turning out was the immediate consequence of the alarm to arrest the progress of the enemy, that this declarant shouldered his musket & repaired the next day to Bennington and the battle was fought the third day after he left home, that he was in the heat of the action which commenced according to his recollection about 11 Oclock AM and continued till night, That Col Baum who commanded the enemy received a reinforcement during the action which was the cause of its being continued so long that the battle was fought he thinks on the 16th of August of that year and the enemy completely defeated”. Ives was from Wallingford, CT but lived in Adams, MA, at the time. Primary Sources Battle of Bennington Vermont Militia Job Leonard In an old newspaper is an affidavit of Capt. Jonas Galusha of Bennington; wrote in 1807 or 1808. Says he marched his company to the battle ground, by order of Col. Moses Robinson. In the battle, a soldier came to Col. Nathan Stone of Shaftsbury, & said, I have no gun; what shall I do? Stone replied – Stand by me a few minutes & you shall have ne. Stone soon after drew up & fired at a Hessian, who fell - & Stone said Run and get the gun – which he did. This soldier was Job Leonard, who afterwards settled in Granville, N.Y., one of whose family, Deac. Henry Leonard is still living there. Asa Fitch, Notes for a history of Washington County, N.Y. 7 vols. vol. 4, # 1540, Call No. Mss Col NYGB 18065. New York Public Library, New York, NY. Primary Sources Battle of Bennington Unit: Green Mountain Boys, Col. Seth Warner Dan Kent Pension Application of Dan Kent W 21510 “That myself & two brothers joined the army at Manchester, drew ammunition & kept a kind of outpost in advance of our Army about six miles There we kept guard, we continued at this post till Bennington was Invaded by Col. Baum, the battle of Bennington was fought August 16. 1777. When Warner’s Regt left Manchester for Bennington himself & Brothers were ordered to join them, which they did and met the enemy reinforcement. That he was in said battle till the victory was obtained and eight hundred or a thousand prisoners taken; these he continued with our friends to guard till they were marched to Boston; this campaign was about two months. When I was ordered to leave my post & join Col. Warners Regt at Manchester, a company of the enemy from Skeenesborough cut down a liberty pole which stood near my fathers door – and brake in our windows and damaged the house with their tomahawks […] Genl Stark had the chief command in the battle near Bennington Col. Warners Regt had not arrived at the first battle but came up just in time to meet the British reinforcements this battle was fought in the afternoon & continued to near sunset both were bloody battles many were slain on both sides wounded […] nor did he ever receive any pay for his service except four dollars continental money, which they told him was his share of the plunder of the Battle of Bennington.” He was born in 10 April 1758, dies 21 July 1835.